I remember when Cat Stevens sang, “another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody”. A nice tune, but was he was tapping into the Moon-Dog of his soul when he penned the lyrics? At the end of the day, it is our marriage to the Divine Light of our own souls that light our way. Wolf’s spirited teachings guide us into the inner dens of our souls so that we will get to know ourselves on a deeper level. Wolf offers us guidance regarding effectively using our instincts, intelligence and knowing when to be alone and when to be with family and community. Given a Full Moon this Saturday night, it is a good time to meditate and journey with Wolf. In this frigid cold front we are experiencing in Maine, it is difficult to imagine that the darkness is waning, while trotting toward the Chinese-Lunar New Year and Groundhog Day in February and the Spring Equinox in March.

During these shifting tides in our lives, we are asked to endure many hardships. Right now, there is talk of yet another US war in Mali and a desire to expand the drone war without the consent of Congress or the American public. Killer whales in the Pacific Northwest need more protection from the Endangered Species Act, not less. Congress failed to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act, while the Pentagon agreed to expand the use of women in the military. In the Middle East, there is a non-violent Palestinian movement to put a cease-fire on land being taken by the Israeli Netanyahu government. Even in a relatively free society like America, if a bank wants to take away your home or the government wants to put a highway in the middle of your town (that predictably dislocates your community and creates a ghetto), then they will. Similarly, when my mom took her life 18 years ago, she pulled the rug out from under all of us who loved her. In spite of all the traumatic exposure, the deep soul work is yielding a place of celebration, but without being as invested, regarding my relationship with her death. I feel her spirit with me and keep her close to my heart every day. There is an old picture of her in my sacred meditation space that I now look upon with a gentle gaze. But arriving at this place has not been easy. In fact, there has been much pain and suffering. What is the difference? Pain is an inevitable experience in life, while suffering is a choice. We suffer when we attach dramatic stories to our pain. And there is ego in that. We begin to let go of suffering, when we start accepting our pain, while loosening the grip that our egos have on our Being. This is somewhat akin to getting sick. We have a choice to resist our illness or we can choose to accept and perhaps even embrace our illness as part of our holistic experience. Yes, a part of me died when my mom left this plane, I crashed and burned on the inside and I still miss her today. But as we have discussed, even in death there is re-birth. Even physical death is merely a transition and what matters is how we navigate the Climate Change that we face.

We are consciousness, rather than what consciousness has identified with. Whatever labels we attach to ourselves is really the ego trying to strengthen itself and perpetuate its fragile existence. But it is never enough, as the ego has an insatiable hunger. Do you feel that your relationship would be just fine if your partner would just change? Do you feel like you would be happy if certain things had gone differently in the past, or that the current situation was somehow different from how it is right now, or if you were relaxing in some future paradise? Even folks in the spiritual community often fall prey to clever tricks played by the ego, by perceiving oneself as on a spiritual path, while constantly striving toward “getting it” or seeking Enlightenment. In my own humility, I can related to that. But digging deeper into the den teaches that it is in the waking up process that understands that in the surrender, letting go and embracing the unknowing, there is a form of security and protection in that. During our awakening, we are clearing space for what lies ahead in our journey–our current lives, next incarnation and beyond. We are capable of releasing spirit’s entanglement with form while we are still breathing. May the energy of Wolf help guide your path and be a faithful, loyal and protective guardian.